“We just stuck it out,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said, simplifying the greatest comeback in franchise history to its simplest form.

They stuck it out after they stunk it out.

Trailing the Denver Broncos by 24 points following a first half in which sixes were wild – the Patriots fumbled six times in the opening 30 minutes and lost three in a span of six offensive plays in the first quarter – the Patriots came storming back to score 31 unanswered points before winning Sunday night’s nationally televised game at Gillette Stadium, 34-31, in overtime.

“You’ve got to forget about what happened in the first half because it was a terrible half of football,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “I mean, I don’t know what you coach at that point.”

Exhibiting selective memory, the Patriots mounted a comeback that’s sure to be frozen in the memories of those frigid fans who stuck around.

The climax was as bizarre as the comeback, Stephen Gostkowski’s 31-yard field goal with 1:56 to play in OT set up when Denver’s Tony Carter – a former Patriot – inadvertently allowed a punt by Ryan Allen to hit him and Nate Ebner emerged from a scrum with the ball at the Denver 13.

“We had a lot of guys who were heroes tonight,” the coach said.

The list included the usual suspects.

There was Brady with 34 completions for 344 yards with no interceptions and three touchdowns, two of them in the third quarter when he drove the team to 21 unanswered points in a wind so stiff it prompted Belichick to choose which goal to defend, rather than take the ball, in overtime.

There was tight end Rob Gronkowski with seven receptions for 90 yards and one of those TDs, the 6-yarder that pulled the Patriots to within 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

And there was team-leading receiver Julian Edelman, who hauled in nine passes for 110 yards and Brady’s other two TDs, 5 and 14 yarders, the first getting the Patriots on the scoreboard on the opening drive of the second half and the second giving them the lead, 28-24, less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Page 2 of 2 - But the supporting cast included some of the team’s lesser knowns as well.

With both Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount benched following their first-quarter turnovers, Brandon Bolden came off the heated bench to lead the team in rushing with 13 carries for 58 yards and a 1-yard TD run and also caught a pass for 11 yards.

In just his second game back from the broken wrist that sidelined him for eight games, Shane Vereen caught eight passes for 60 yards and carried the ball 10 times for another 31.

Rookie cornerback Logan Ryan’s interception of a Peyton Manning pass on the second play of the fourth quarter led to Edelman’s go-ahead touchdown and there was Ebner, the converted rugby player, coming up with the crucial turnover in overtime.

No one enjoyed it more than the man who put the finishing touches on this miracle on Route 1.

“Just winning in general is fun,” said Gostkowski. “When you get to touch the ball last it’s even sweeter. What a crazy game and what a fun finish. To come back and win like that is definitely special.”